Crunchy, juicy fried chicken is the ultimate comfort food. Dave Arnold's simple recipe outlines how to confidently and easily make the buttermilk fried chicken of your dreams at home.
Frequently asked questions
Why do you soak chicken before frying?
Soaking chicken in a salty brine not only helps to season the meat, but the salt actually breaks down the protein to yield tender, juicy fried chicken. (Bonus: This also provides a bit of a safeguard against overcooking, which can make the chicken tough and dry.)
How do you keep flour from falling off fried chicken?
There are a couple keys to keeping your breading adhered to the chicken. First, once the chicken has soaked and you're ready to coat it, you'll want to thoroughly pat it dry after removing it from the brine; excess moisture creates steam between the surface of the chicken and the breading, which causes it to fall off. Second, as you finish coating the chicken, set the pieces on a wire rack and let them rest a bit before frying. Even a 10-minute rest between dredging and frying will help keep the breading intact, so when you begin to fry, start with the pieces you coated first. As it cooks, refrain from flipping the chicken until it's had a chance to start turning golden on one side.
Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen
When planning to make this fried chicken, you'll need to allow four hours for the chicken to soak in the brine. When it comes time to fry, it's important not to crowd the chicken in the pan so that it all cooks evenly. To speed up the process, we like to fry it in two pans simultaneously, but you can use just one pan if you'd like. The chicken can be fried up to four hours ahead and reheated.
Suggested pairing
A lively, fruity, low-tannin Beaujolais has the fruit and acidity to contrast with the pleasantly sweet chicken.
